Trader Joe's, 16 Area Locations

oh, thank you very much for checking for me, it was very kind of you!
the triple ginger choc cookies are good? excellent! i bought a package of those and the choc covered caramellows as the new treats to try this year and am looking forward to them. i do love their seasonal treats like the salted caramel chocolate cookies and peppermint pretzel slims, and every year i try a couple of new ones. (if you havent tried the pumpkin maccarons, and they still have them, you definitely should!)

has anyone tried the chocolate covered shortbread stars? i was tempted, but the last time i bought the shortbread cookies with the dollop of chocolate in the center i was dissapointed in the shortbread.

has anyone tried the chocolate covered shortbread stars? i was tempted, but the last time i bought the shortbread cookies with the dollop of chocolate in the center i was dissapointed in the shortbread.

Yes, I had them last year, and I have a box of this years, they are pretty good.

A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch. - James Beard

I have some good news for frustrated apricot lovers like me, who grew up eating tree-ripened, sweet juicy apricots from California backyard trees. This morning, Trader Joe's was selling "Angelcot" white apricots. I tried one in the store, and the juice was dripping down my arm, so I went back and got a couple more boxes. Very sweet. Flavor could have more depth, but hey, when all you can usually find on the east coast is slightly sour, flannel-textured 'cots these are very special. They'll probably sell out fast, so don't get mad at me if you wait a few days and they are gone.

Just finished off a package of confetti rice (it's the rice in the frozen section with lemongrass, ginger, small slices of baby corn, etc.). I don't know what it is about this stuff, but I find it totally addictive. Add to that that I haven't eaten rice for about 6 months and this was a real treat. I always used to serve it alongside their beef bulgogi, which takes all of 2 seconds to sear off in a hot hot pan for a super quick dinner.

It's also pfefferneuse (sp?) season, which makes me very happy. nothing like not one coating of sugar, but two -- iced layer, then a powdered sugar layer.

the lack of vegetarian meatballs is now starting to settle in, however. since TJ's announced that they needed to change their supplier about a month ago, i was using my stash sparingly, but have now run out. i tried to stock up when i heard the news, but was too late. i don't know why a new supplier is needed, but i'm hoping that they find one soon - and that can provide the same product. they were so good! a meat eater probably wouldn't confuse them for beef, but were pretty darn close.

Thanks for your posts guys, I love Honeycrisp apples and will look for SweeTango. I also am saddened by the loss of the meatless meatballs, I eat meat, but really liked them.

But I learned fast how to keep my head up 'cause I
Know I got this side of me that
Wants to grab the yoke from the pilot and just
Fly the whole mess into the sea. The Shinswww.rrbmdk.comwww.katelintaylor.com

Checked out the 14th Street TJ's yesterday afternoon - the store itself is pretty nice (the aisles seemed a bit wider than the West End store, though it was still crowded and tough to maneuver sometimes), and the staff were great, as always. The parking is a nightmare - they have a teeny tiny lot underground, which looks to be a small sliver of the Louis apartment parking deck, and it is TIGHT. Even compact cars were having trouble getting into the spaces, and the turns are really dangerous. I am not sure the closer-to-me location is worth the anxiety attack. Great news for folks who live in the neighborhood, though.

The parking is a nightmare - they have a teeny tiny lot underground, which looks to be a small sliver of the Louis apartment parking deck, and it is TIGHT. Even compact cars were having trouble getting into the spaces, and the turns are really dangerous. I am not sure the closer-to-me location is worth the anxiety attack.

I think it's the corporate policy of the overlords at Aldi that Trader Joe's (Joe's's? Joes?) can only be located in areas with badly-designed parking lots with not enough spaces. I've noticed the same phenomenon with warehouse clubs.

I figure if Trader Joe's ever opened a warehouse club variant, it would have only one parking space...and that would be for a handicapped placarded motorcycle.

Just noticed the other day that the meatless meatballs are back! Assuming the recipe is still the same, It is a happy day in the ozgirl household.

I just picked some up a week or so ago. The brand we used to like was discontinued by both WF and Yes! Gourmet some time ago. These actually compared very favorably to frozen (real) meatballs Dame Edna bought. I hope this is something they will continue to carry.

Avoid the new product; "Pork Rib Bites in BBQ sauce". for $4.99, you get a bag of bones with a tiny bit of meat on them submerged in a candy-sweet BBQ sauce. I really didn't like them, and threw most of it out.

A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch. - James Beard

Avoid the new product; "Pork Rib Bites in BBQ sauce". for $4.99, you get a bag of bones with a tiny bit of meat on them submerged in a candy-sweet BBQ sauce. I really didn't like them, and threw most of it out.

Something else to avoid: Frozen mushroom ravioli with sauce. Not very good. I thought I was just buying the ravioli until it came time to cook it. The sauce is in the form of frozen squares mixed through the bag. I should have stayed with the fresh ones found in the section with the cold cuts and cheeses and make my own sauce.

The pumpkin spice coffee smells amazing, & it was only after I made it, that I realized I didn't have any fresh milk. It was still pretty good w/ a coconut milk ice cube. I'll use the leftovers in a protein shake.

I haven't tried much yet, but the coconut cupcakes are delicious. i bought them for the inch of ganache on top and was pleasantly surprised by how good the cake itself was. The coconut flavor isn't that strong, so even people who don't like coconut might like these. from the flyer description i thought the salted caramel gelato might have been made by talenti, so we got some. it's good, but not talenti, it has a more milky carmel flavor, and is less salty. Sadly i didn't see any of the awesome peppermint/candy cane truffles from last year and i fear they might not have returned this year. but the ganache pastry ring is back at least.

not holiday but also good--the arugula ravioli actually have that distinct nutty arugula flavor.

I admit to eating a lot of the box of iced gingerbread men my Mom bought. They were similar to iced animal crackers in that it was icing but not real icing, it's more essence of icing. I thought they were great.

But I learned fast how to keep my head up 'cause I
Know I got this side of me that
Wants to grab the yoke from the pilot and just
Fly the whole mess into the sea. The Shinswww.rrbmdk.comwww.katelintaylor.com

Major Trader Joe's fail: I made their Israeli couscous for the first time tonight. The recipe on the box calls for 1 1/3 cup of couscous but the box provides 1 1/2+ of couscous. Anyone need a futile amount of couscous that will now just take up space in the cabinet?

How do you know you're a well-adjusted foodie?-babkaWill schmooz for schmaltz-qwertyy

Just keep on smiling-Mrs. Brown

She never promised that life would be easy, but she did promise that if I hung with her the food would be good. -Joan Bauer

...the craving of a Jew for pork, in particular when it has been deep-fried, is a force greater than night or distance or a cold blast off the Gulf of Alaska.
-Michael Chabon

I always get my capers and KerryGold here. But have to confess I'm not sure this is the best local price on KerryGold for all of us not named Cathal Armstrong. And, in fuller disclosure, I have everything to learn about any substantive differences between brands of jarred capers.